The present invention relates to derivatives of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) and in particular to esters of ALA for use as photosensitizing agents in photochemotherapy or diagnosis.
Photochemotherapy, or photodynamic therapy (PDT) as it is also known, is a recently up-coming technique for the treatment of various abnormalities or disorders of the skin or other epithelial organs or mucosa, especially cancers or pre-cancerous lesions, as well as certain non-malignant lesions for example skin complaints such as psoriasis. Photochemotherapy involves the application of photosensitizing (photochemotherapeutic) agents to the affected area of the body, followed by exposure to photoactivating light in order to activate the photosensitizing agents and convert them into cytotoxic form, whereby the affected cells are killed or their proliferative potential diminished.
A range of photosensitizing agents are known, including notably the psoralens, the porphyrins, the chlorins and the phthalocyanins. Such drugs become toxic when exposed to light.
Photosensitizing drugs may exert their effects by a variety of mechanisms, directly or indirectly. Thus for example, certain photosensitizers become directly toxic when activated by light, whereas others act to generate toxic species, e.g. oxidising agents such as singlet oxygen or other oxygen-derived free radicals, which are extremely destructive to cellular material and biomolecules such as lipids, proteins and nucleic acids. Psoralens are an example of directly acting photosensitizers; upon exposure to light they form adducts and cross-links between the two strands of DNA molecules, thereby inhibiting DNA synthesis. The unfortunate risk with this therapy is that unwanted mutagenic and carcinogenic side effects may occur.
This disadvantage may be avoided by selecting photosensitizers with an alternative, indirect mode of action. For example porphyrins, which act indirectly by generation of toxic oxygen species, have no mutagenic side-effects and represent more favourable candidates for photochemotherapy. Porphyrins are naturally occurring precursors in the synthesis of heme. In particular, heme is produced when iron (Fe3+) is incorporated in protoporphyrin IX (Pp) by the action of the enzyme ferrochelatase. Pp is an extremely potent photosensitizer, whereas heme has no photosensitizing effect.
One such porphyrin-based drug, Photofrin, has recently been approved as a photosensitizer in the therapy of certain cancers. The main disadvantage is that since it must be administered parenterally, generally intravenously, cause photosensitization of the skin which may last for several weeks following i.v. injection. Photofrin consists of large oligomers of porphyrin and it does not readily penetrate the skin when applied topically. Similar problems exist with other porphyrin-based photosensitizers such as the so-called xe2x80x9chematoporphyrin derivativexe2x80x9d (Hpd) which has also been reported for use in cancer photochemotherapy (see for example S. Dougherty. J. Natl. Cancer Ins., 1974, 52; 1333; Kelly and Snell, J. Urol, 1976, 115: 150). Hpd is a complex mixture obtained by treating haematoporphyrin with acetic and sulphuric acids, after which the acetylated product is dissolved with alkali.
To overcome these problems, precursors of Pp have been investigated for photochemotherapeutic potential. In particular the Pp precursor 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) has been investigated as a photochemotherapeutic agent for certain skin cancers. ALA, which is formed from succinyl CoA and glycine in the first step of heme synthesis, is to a limited extent able to penetrate the skin and lead to a localised build-up of Pp; since the action of ferrochelatase (the metallating enzyme) is the rate limiting step in heme synthesis, an excess of ALA leads to accumulation of Pp, the photosensitizing agent. Thus, by applying ALA topically to skin tumours, and then after several hours exposing the tumours to light, a beneficial photochemotherapeutic effect may be obtained (see for example WO91/01727). Since the skin covering basilomas and squamous cell carcinomas is more readily penetrated by ALA than healthy skin, and since the concentration of ferrochelatase is low in skin tumours, it has been found that topical application of ALA leads to a selectively enhanced production of Pp in tumours.
However, whilst the use of ALA represents a significant advance in the art, photochemotherapy with ALA is not always entirely satisfactory. ALA is not able to penetrate all tumours and other tissues with sufficient efficacy to enable treatment of a wide range of tumours or other conditions and ALA also tends to be unstable in pharmaceutical formulations. A need therefore exists for improved photochemotherapeutic agents.
The present invention addresses this need and in particular aims to provide photochemotherapeutic agents which are better able to penetrate the tumour or other abnormality, and which have an enhanced photochemotherapeutic effect over those described in the prior art.
In one aspect, the present invention thus provides compounds being esters of 5-aminolevulinic acids or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof for use in photochemotherapy or diagnosis.
In the esters of the invention the 5-amino group may be substituted or unsubstituted, the latter case being the ALA esters.
More particularly, the compounds for use according to the invention are esters of 5-aminolevulinic acids with optionally substituted alkanols, ie. alkyl esters or substituted alkyl esters.
Database Xfire, entries 3060978, 5347132, 5499790, 5620924, 5633390, 5991317, and 6517740 (Beilstein); Cosmo Sogo Kenkyusho KK, Patent Abstracts of Japan, Vol. 16; No. 156 (C-0930), 16.4.1992; EP-A-316179 (Tokuyama Soda KK); GB-A-2058077 (Hudson et al.); and DE-A-2411382 (Boehringer Sohn Ingelheim) describe alkyl ester derivative of 5-aminolevulinic acid, and derivatives and salts thereof and processes for their preparation.
Alternatively viewed, the invention can therefore be seen to provide compounds of formula I,
R22Nxe2x80x94CH2COCH2xe2x80x94CH2COxe2x80x94OR1xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(I) 
(wherein R1 may represent alkyl optionally substituted by hydroxy, alkoxy, acyloxy, alkoxycarbonyloxy, amino, aryl, oxo or fluoro groups and optionally interrupted by oxygen, nitrogen, sulphur or phosphorus atoms; and R2, each of which may be the same or different, represents a hydrogen atom or a group R1) and salts thereof for use in photochemotherapy or diagnosis.
The sustituted alkyl R1 groups may be mono or polysubstituted. Thus suitable R1 groups include for example unsubstituted alkyl, alkoxyalkyl, hydroxyalkoxyalkyl, polyhydroxyalkyl, hydroxy poly alkyleneoxyalkyl and the like. The term xe2x80x9cacylxe2x80x9d as used herein includes both carboxylate and carbonate groups, thus, acyloxy substituted alkyl groups include for example alkylcarbonyloxy alkyl. In such groups any alkylene moieties preferably have carbon atom contents defined for alkyl groups below. Preferred aryl groups include phenyl and monocyclic 5-7 membered heteroaromatics, especially phenyl and such groups may themselves optionally be substituted.
Representative substituted alkyl groups R1 include alkoxymethyl, alkoxyethyl and alkoxypropyl groups or acyloxymethyl, acyloxyethyl and acyloxypropyl groups eg. pivaloyloxymethyl.
Preferred compounds for use according to the invention, include those wherein R1 represents an unsubstituted alkyl group and/or each R2 represents a hydrogen atom.
As used herein, the term xe2x80x9calkylxe2x80x9d includes any long or short chain, straight-chained or branched aliphatic saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon group. The unsaturated alkyl groups may be mono- or polyunsaturated and include both alkenyl and alkynyl groups. Such groups may contain up to 40 carbon atoms. However, alkyl groups containing up to 10 eg. 8, more preferably up to 6, and especially preferably up to 4 carbon atoms are preferred.
Particular mention may be made of ALA-methylester, ALA-ethylester, ALA-propylester, ALA-hexylester, ALA-heptylester and ALA-octylester and salts thereof, which represent preferred compounds for use according to the invention.
The compounds for use in the invention may be prepared using standard processes and procedures well-known in the art for derivatization of multi-functional compounds, and especially esterification. As known in the art, such esterification of compounds may involve protection and deprotection of appropriate groups such that only the required groups remain active and take part in the reaction under the conditions of the esterification. Thus for example the substituents of substituted alkanols used to prepare the esters may be protected during esterification. Similarly the NR22 group on the compound contributing this group to compounds of formula I may be protected during the reaction and deprotected thereafter. Such protection/deprotection procedures are well known in the art for the preparation of derivatives, and in particular, esters of well known amino-acids, see for example Mcomie in xe2x80x9cProtective Groups in Organic Chemistryxe2x80x9d, Plenum, 1973 and T. W. Greene in xe2x80x9cProtective Groups in Organic Chemistryxe2x80x9d, Wiley-Interscience, 1981.
In a further aspect, the present invention thus provides a process for preparing the compounds for use in the invention, comprising forming an ester of the carboxy group of a 5-aminolevulinic acid.
The invention can thus be seen to provide a process for preparing the compounds for use in the invention, comprising reacting a 5-aminolevulinic acid, or an esterifiable derivative thereof, with an alkanol or an ester-forming derivative thereof.
More particularly, this aspect of the invention provides a process for preparing compounds of formula I, which process comprises at least one of the following steps:
(a) reacting a compound of formula II
R22Nxe2x80x94CH2COCH2xe2x80x94CH2COxe2x80x94Xxe2x80x83xe2x80x83(II) 
(wherein X represents a leaving group, for example a hydroxyl group, a halogen atom or alkoxy group or COX represents an acid anhydride group and R2 is as hereinbefore defined)
with a compound of formula III
R1xe2x80x94OHxe2x80x83xe2x80x83(III) 
(wherein R1 is as hereinbefore defined); and
(b) converting a compound of formula I into a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
The reaction of step (a) may conveniently be carried out in a solvent or mixture of solvents such as water, acetone, diethylether, methylformamide, tetrahydrofuran etc. at temperatures up to the boiling point of the mixture, preferably at ambient temperatures. The conditions of the esterification reactions will depend of the alcohol used and the conditions may be chosen such that maximum yield of the ester is obtained. Since the esterification reactions are reversible equilibrium reactions, reaction conditions may be selected in such a way that maximum yield of the ester product is obtained. Such conditions may be obtained by selecting a solvent which is capable of removing the water formed in a typical esterification reaction by forming an azeotrope with water. Such solvents are exemplified by aromatic hydrocarbons or others capable of forming azeotropes with water, e.g. some chlorinated hydrocarbons such as chloroform. For the formation of the lower esters of 5-ALA the equilibrium reaction may be driven to the ester side by using a large excess of the alcohol. With other esters the equilibrium may be driven towards the ester product by using a large excess of the acid.
Esterification reactions are well-known in the art for example, as described by Saul Patai in xe2x80x9cThe chemistry of the carboxylic acids and estersxe2x80x9d, (Ch. 11, p. 505, Interscience 1969) and Houban Weyl, (Methoden der Organische Chemie, Band ES, xe2x80x9cCarbonsauren und carbonsauren-derivatexe2x80x9d, p. 504, Georg Thieme Verlag, 1985). The formation of derivatives of amino-acids are described in Band XI/2 of the same series, (Houben Weyl, Methoden der Organische Chemie, Band XI/2, xe2x80x9cStickstoffverbindungenxe2x80x9d, p. 269, Georg Thieme Verlag, 1958).
The reaction will conveniently be carried out in the presence of a catalyst, eg. an inorganic or organic acid or an acid binding agent such as a base.
The compounds used as starting materials are known from the literature, and in many cases commercially available, or may be obtained using methods known per se. ALA, for example, is available from Sigma or from Photocure, Oslo, Norway.
As mentioned above, the compounds for use according to the invention may take the form of pharmaceutically acceptable salts. Such salts preferably are acid addition salts with physiologically acceptable organic or inorganic acids. Suitable acids include, for example, hydrochloric, hydrobromic, sulphuric, phosphoric, acetic, lactic, citric, tartaric, succinic, maleic, fumaric and ascorbic acids. Procedures for salt formation are conventional in the art.
As mentioned above, the compounds for use according to the invention and their salts have valuable pharmacological properties, namely a photosensitizing agent which renders them useful as photochemotherapeutic agents.
Like ALA, the compounds exert their effects by enhancing production of Pp; upon delivery to the desired site of action hydrolytic enzymes such as esterases present in the target cells break down the esters into the parent ALA, which then enters the haem synthesis pathway and leads to a build-up of Pp. However, the compounds for use according to the invention have a number of advantages over ALA itself. Firstly, the novel compounds are better able to penetrate skin and other tissues as compared with ALA; the penetration is both deeper and faster. This is an important advantage, especially for topical administration. Secondly, the esters have surprisingly been found to be better enhancers of Pp production than ALA; Pp production levels following administration of the ALA esters are higher than with ALA alone. Thirdly, the compounds for use in the invention demonstrate improved selectivity for the target tissue to be treated, namely the Pp production-enhancing effect is localised to the desired target lesion and does not spread to the surrounding tissues. This is especially evident with tumours. Finally, the compounds appear to localise better to the target tissue upon administration. This is especially important for systemic application, since it means that undesirable photosensitization effects, as reported in the literature for other porphyrin-based photosensitizers, may be reduced or avoided.
A further aspect of the present invention accordingly provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising a compound as described hereinbefore, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, together with at least one pharmaceutical carrier or excipient.
In a still further aspect, there is also provided the use of a compound as described hereinbefore, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, for the preparation of a therapeutic agent for use in photochemotherapy, and especially for the treatment of disorders or abnormalities of external or internal surfaces of the body which are responsive to photochemotherapy.
The abnormalities and disorders which may be treated according to the present invention include any malignant, pre-malignant and non-malignant abnormalities or disorders responsive to photochemotherapy eg. tumours or other growths, skin disorders such as psoriasis or actinic keratoses, skin abrasions, and other diseases or infections eg. bacterial, viral or fungal infections, for example Herpes virus infections. The invention is particularly suited to the treatment of diseases, disorders or abnormalities where discrete lesions are formed to which the compositions may be directly applied (lesions is used here in a broad sense to include tumours and the like).
The internal and external body surfaces which may be treated according to the invention include the skin and all other epithelial and serosal surfaces, including for example mucosa, the linings of organs eg. the respiratory, gastro-intestinal and genito-urinary tracts, and glands with ducts which empty onto such surfaces (e.g. liver, hair follicles with sebaceous glands, mammary glands, salivary glands and seminal vesicles). In addition to the skin, such surfaces include for example the lining of the vagina, the endometrium and the urothelium. Such surfaces may also include cavities formed in the body following excision of diseased or cancerous tissue eg. brain cavities following the excision of tumours such as gliomas.
Exemplary surfaces thus include: (i) skin and conjunctiva; (ii) the lining of the mouth, pharynx, oesophagus, stomach, intestines and intestinal appendages, rectum, and anal canal; (iii) the lining of the nasal passages, nasal sinuses, nasopharynx, trachea, bronchi, and bronchioles; (iv) the lining of the ureters, urinary bladder, and urethra; (v) the lining of the vagina, uterine cervix, and uterus; (vi) the parietal and visceral pleura; (vii) the lining of the peritoneal and pelvic cavities, and the surface of the organs contained within those cavities; (viii) the dura mater and meninges; (ix) any tumors in solid tissues that can be made accessible to photoactivating light e.g. either directly, at time of surgery, or via an optical fibre inserted through a needle.
The compositions of the invention may be formulated in conventional manner with one or more physiologically acceptable carriers or excipients, according to techniques well known in the art. Compositions may be administered topically, orally or systemically. Topical compositions are preferred, and include gels, creams, ointments, sprays, lotions, salves, sticks, soaps, powders, pessaries, aerosols, drops and any of the other conventional pharmaceutical forms in the art.
Ointments and creams may, for example, be formulated with an aqueous or oily base with the addition of suitable thickening and/or gelling agents. Lotions may be formulated with an aqueous or oily base and will, in general, also contain one or more emulsifying, dispersing, suspending, thickening or colouring agents. Powders may be formed with the aid of any suitable powder base. Drops may be formulated with an aqueous or non-aqueous base also comprising one or more dispersing, solubilising or suspending agents. Aerosol sprays are conveniently delivered from pressurised packs, with the use of a suitable propellant.
Alternatively, the compositions may be provided in a form adapted for oral or parenteral administration, for example by intradermal, subcutaneous, intraperitoneal or intravenous injection. Alternative pharmaceutical forms thus include plain or coated tablets, capsules, suspensions and solutions containing the active component optionally together with one or more inert conventional carriers and/or diluents, e.g. with corn starch, lactose, sucrose, microcrystalline cellulose, magnesium stearate, polyvinylpyrrolidone, citric acid, tartaric acid, water, water/ethanol, water/glycerol, water/sorbitol, water/polyethyleneglycol, propyleneglycol, stearylalcohol, carboxymethylcellulose or fatty substances such as hard fat or suitable mixtures thereof.
The concentration of the compounds as described hereinbefore the invention in the compositions, depends upon the nature of the compound, the composition, mode of administration and the patient and may be varied or adjusted according to choice. Generally however, concentration ranges of 1 to 50% (w/w) are suitable. For therapeutic applications concentration ranges of 10 to 50% have been found to be suitable, eg. 15 to 30% (w/w).
Following administration to the surface, the area treated is exposed to light to achieve the photochemotherapeutic effect. The length of time following administration, at which the light exposure takes place will depend on the nature of the composition and the form of administration. This can generally be in the order of 0.5 to 48 hours, e.g. 1 to 10 hours.
The irradiation will in general be applied at a dose level of 40 to 200 Joules/cm2, for example at 100 Joules/cm2.
The wavelength of light used for irradiation may be selected to achieve a more efficaceous photochemo-therapeutic effect. Conventionally, when porphyrins are used in photochemotherapy they are irradiated with light at about the absorption maximum of the porphyrin. Thus, for example in the case of the prior art use of ALA in photochemotherapy of skin-cancer, wavelengths in the region 350-640 nm, preferably 610-635 nm were employed. However, by selecting a broad range of wavelengths for irradiation, extending beyond the absorption maximum of the porphyrin, the photosensitizing effect may be enhanced. Whilst not wishing to be bound by theory, this is thought to be due to the fact that when Pp, and other porphyrins, are exposed to light having wavelengths within its absorption spectrum, it is degraded into various photo-products including in particular photoprotoporphyrin (PPp). PPp is a chlorin and has a considerable photo-sensitizing effect; its absorption spectrum stretches out to longer wavelengths beyond the wavelengths at which Pp absorbs ie. up to almost 700 nm (Pp absorbs almost no light above 650 nm). Thus in conventional photochemotherapy, the wavelengths used do not excite PPp and hence do not obtain the benefit of its additional photosensitizing effect. Irradiation with wavelengths of light in the range 500-700 nm has been found to be particularly effective. It is particularly important to include the wavelengths 630 and 690 nm.
A further aspect of the invention thus provides a method of photochemotherapeutic treatment of disorders or abnormalities of external or internal surfaces of the body, comprising administering to the affected surfaces, a composition as hereinbefore defined, and exposing said surfaces to light, preferably to light in the wavelength region 300-800 nm, for example 500-700 nm.
Methods for irradiation of different areas of the body, eg. by lamps or lasers are well known in the art (see for example Van den Bergh, Chemistry in Britain, May 1986 p. 430-439).
The compounds for use in the invention may be formulated and/or administered with other photosensitizing agents, for example ALA or photofrin, or with other active components which may enhance the photochemotherapeutic effect. For example, chelating agents may beneficially be included in order to enhance accumulation of Pp; the chelation of iron by the chelating agents prevents its incorporation into Pp to form haem by the action of the enzyme ferrochelatase, thereby leading to a build-up of Pp. The photosensitizing effect is thus enhanced. Aminopolycarboxylic acid chelating agents are particularly suitable for use in this regard, including any of the chelants described in the literature for metal detoxification or for the chelation of paramagnetic metal ions in magnetic resonance imaging contrast agents. Particular mention may be made of EDTA, CDTA (cyclohexane diamine tetraacetic acid), DTPA and DOTA. EDTA is preferred. To achieve the ironchelating effect, desferrioxamine and other siderophores may also be used, e.g. in conjunction with aminopolycarboxylic acid chelating agents such as EDTA.
The chelating agent may conveniently be used at a concentration of 1 to 20% eg. 2 to 10% (w/w).
Additionally, it has been found that surfacepenetration assisting agents and especially dialkylsuphoxides such as dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO) may have a beneficial effect in enhancing the photochemotherapeutic effect. This is described in detail in our co-pending application No. PCT/GB94/01951, a copy of the specification of which is appended hereto.
The surface-penetration assisting agent may be any of the skin-penetration assisting agents described in the pharmaceutical literature e.g. HPE-101 (available from Hisamitsu), DMSO and other dialkylsulphoxides, in particular n-decylmethyl-sulphoxide (NDMS), dimethylsulphacetamide, dimethylformamide (DMFA), dimethylacetamide, glycols, various pyrrolidone derivatives (Woodford et al., J. Toxicol. Cut. and Ocular Toxicology, 1986, 5: 167-177), and Azone(copyright) (Stoughton et al., Drug Dpv. Ind. Pharm. 1983, 9: 725-744), or mixtures thereof.
DMSO however has a number of beneficial effects and is strongly preferred. Thus, in addition to the surface-penetration assisting effect (DMSO is particularly effective in enhancing the depth of penetration of the active agent into the tissue), DMSO has anti-histamine and anti-inflammatory activities. In addition, DMSO has been found to increase the activity of the enzymes ALA-synthase and ALA-dehydrogenase (the enzymes which, respectively, form and condense ALA to porphobilinogen) thereby enhancing the formation of the active form, Pp.
The surface penetration agent may conveniently be provided in a concentration range of 2 to 50% (w/w), eg about 10% (w/w).
According to the condition being treated, and the nature of the composition, the compounds for use in the invention may be co-administered with such other optional agents, for example in a single composition or they may be administered sequentially or separately. Indeed, in many cases a particularly beneficial photochemotherapeutic effect may be obtained by pretreatment with the surface-penetration assisting agent in a separate step, prior to administration of the compounds for use in the invention. Furthermore, in some situations a pre-treatment with the surface-penetration assisting agent, followed by administration of the photochemotherapeutic agent in conjunction with the surface-penetration assisting agent may be beneficial. When a surface-penetration assisting agent is used in pre-treatment this may be used at high concentrations, e.g. up to 100% (w/w). If such a pre-treatment step is employed, the photochemotherapeutic agent may subsequently be administered up to several hours following pre-treatment eg. at an interval of 5-60 minutes following pre-treatment.
Viewed from a further aspect, the invention thus provides a product comprising a compound as described hereinbefore or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, together with at least one surface-penetration assisting agent, and optionally one or more chelating agents as a combined preparation for simultaneous, separate or sequential use in treating disorders or abnormalities of external or internal surfaces of the body which are responsive to photochemotherapy.
Alternatively viewed, this aspect of the invention also provides a kit for use in photochemotherapy of disorders or abnormalities of external or internal surfaces of the body comprising:
a) a first container containing a compound as described hereinbefore invention or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof,
b) a second container containing at least one surface penetration assisting agent; and optionally
c) one or more chelating agents contained either within said first container or in a third container.
Where the surface penetration agent is applied in a separate pre-treatment step, it may be applied in higher concentration, for example up to 100% (w/w).
It will be appreciated that the method of therapy using compounds of the invention inevitably involves the fluorescence of the disorder or abnormality to be treated. Whilst the intensity of this fluorescence may be used to eliminate abnormal cells, the localization of the fluorescence may be used to visualize the size, extent and situation of the abnormality or disorder. This is made possible through the surprising ability of ALA esters to preferentially localize to non-normal tissue.
The abnormality or disorder thus identified or confirmed at the site of investigation may then be treated through alternative therapeutic techniques e.g. surgical or chemical treatment, or by the method of therapy of the invention by continued build up of fluorescence or through further application of compounds of the invention at the appropriate site. It will be appreciated that diagnostic techniques may require lower levels of fluorescence for visualization than used in therapeutic treatments. Thus, generally, concentration ranges of 1 to 50% e.g. 1-5% (w/w) are suitable. Sites, methods and modes of administration have been considered before with regard to the therapeutic uses and are applicable also to diagnostic uses described here. The compounds for use in the invention may also be used for in vitro diagnostic techniques, for example for examination of the cells contained in body fluids. The higher fluoresence associated with non-normal tissue may conveniently be indicative of an abnormality or disorder. This method is highly sensitive and may be used for early detection of abnormalities or disorders, for example bladder or lung carcinoma by examination of the epithelial cells in urine or sputum samples, respectively. Other useful body fluids which may be used for diagnosis in addition to urine and sputum include blood, semen, tears, spinal fluid etc. Tissue samples or preparations may also be evaluated, for example biopsy tissue or bone marrow samples. The present invention thus extends to the use of compounds of the invention, or salts thereof for diagnosis according to the aforementioned methods for photochemotherapy, and products and kits for performing said diagnosis.
A further aspect of the invention relates to a method of in vitro diagnosis, of abnormalities or disorders by assaying a sample of body fluid or tissue of a patient, said method comprising at least the following steps:
i) admixing said body fluid or tissue with a compound as described hereinbefore,
ii) exposing said mixture to light,
iii) ascertaining the level of fluorescence, and
iv) comparing the level of fluorescence to control levels.